Apparatus and method for reducing slippage between structures in an interferometric modulator

ABSTRACT

A support structure within an interferometric modulator device may contact various other structures within the device. Increased bond strengths between the support structure and the other structures may be achieved in various ways, such as by providing roughened surfaces and/or adhesive materials at the interfaces between the support structures and the other structures. In an embodiment, increased adhesion is achieved between a support structure and a substrate layer. In another embodiment, increased adhesion is achieved between a support structure and a moveable layer. Increased adhesion may reduce undesirable slippage between the support structures and the other structures to which they are attached within the interferometric modulator.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.60/613,499, filed Sep. 27, 2004, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to microelectromechanical systems for use asinterferometric modulators. More particularly, this invention relates tosystems and methods for improving the micro-electromechanical operationof interferometric modulators.

2. Description of the Related Technology

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) include micro mechanical elements,actuators, and electronics. Micromechanical elements may be createdusing deposition, etching, and or other micromachining processes thatetch away parts of substrates and/or deposited material layers or thatadd layers to form electrical and electromechanical devices. One type ofMEMS device is called an interferometric modulator. As used herein, theterm interferometric modulator or interferometric light modulator refersto a device that selectively absorbs and/or reflects light using theprinciples of optical interference. In certain embodiments, aninterferometric modulator may comprise a pair of conductive plates, oneor both of which may be transparent and/or reflective in whole or partand capable of relative motion upon application of an appropriateelectrical signal. In a particular embodiment, one plate may comprise astationary layer deposited on a substrate and the other plate maycomprise a metallic membrane separated from the stationary layer by anair gap. As described herein in more detail, the position of one platein relation to another can change the optical interference of lightincident on the interferometric modulator. Such devices have a widerange of applications, and it would be beneficial in the art to utilizeand/or modify the characteristics of these types of devices so thattheir features can be exploited in improving existing products andcreating new products that have not yet been developed.

SUMMARY

The system, method, and devices of the invention each have severalaspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention, its moreprominent features will now be discussed briefly. After considering thisdiscussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled“Detailed Description of Certain Embodiments” one will understand howthe features of this invention provide advantages over other displaydevices.

An embodiment provides an interferometric modulator that includes asubstrate layer and a moveable layer. The substrate layer includes afirst reflective surface and the movable layer includes a secondreflective surface. The second reflective surface is spaced from thefirst reflective surface to thereby define a cavity. The interferometricmodulator further includes a support structure positioned at a side ofthe cavity between the substrate layer and the moveable layer, and abond between the support structure and at least one of the substratelayer and the moveable layer. The bond may be configured to increaseadhesion between the support structure and at least one of the substratelayer and the moveable layer. Another embodiment provides a displaydevice that includes such an interferometric modulator.

Another embodiment provides an interferometric modulator that includes ameans for supporting a moveable layer over a fixed layer, and a meansfor bonding the support means to at least one of the fixed layer and themoveable layer. The bonding means may be configured to provide improvedadhesion between the support means and at least one of the fixed layerand the moveable layer. The bonding means may include, for example, anadhesive and/or a roughened interface between the support means and atleast one of the fixed layer and the moveable layer.

Another embodiment provides a method of making an interferometricmodulator that includes forming a substrate layer, the substrate layercomprising a first reflective surface, and treating at least a portionof a support region of the substrate layer to form a treated supportregion. The method further includes forming a support structure on thetreated support region. The treated support region may be configured toincrease adhesion between the substrate layer and the support structure.Another embodiment provides an interferometric modulator made by such amethod.

Another embodiment provides a method of making an interferometricmodulator that includes forming a substrate layer and forming a supportstructure on the substrate layer. The method further includes treatingthe support structure to form a treated support structure and forming amoveable layer on the treated support structure. Another embodimentprovides an interferometric modulator made by such a method.

These and other embodiments are described in greater detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view depicting a portion of one embodiment of aninterferometric modulator display in which a movable reflective layer ofa first interferometric modulator is in a relaxed position and a movablereflective layer of a second interferometric modulator is in an actuatedposition.

FIG. 2 is a system block diagram illustrating one embodiment of anelectronic device incorporating a 3×3 interferometric modulator display.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of movable mirror position versus applied voltagefor one exemplary embodiment of an interferometric modulator of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a set of row and column voltages that maybe used to drive an interferometric modulator display.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate one exemplary timing diagram for row andcolumn signals that may be used to write a frame of display data to the3×3 interferometric modulator display of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are system block diagrams illustrating an embodiment ofa visual display device comprising a plurality of interferometricmodulators.

FIG. 7A is a cross section of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7B is a cross section of an alternative embodiment of aninterferometric modulator.

FIG. 7C is a cross section of another alternative embodiment of aninterferometric modulator.

FIG. 7D is a cross section of yet another alternative embodiment of aninterferometric modulator.

FIG. 7E is a cross section of an additional alternative embodiment of aninterferometric modulator.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating certain steps in an embodiment ofa method of making an interferometric modulator.

FIG. 9 is a cross section of an embodiment of an interferometricmodulator.

FIGS. 10A-10E are partial cross sections of an embodiment of aninterferometric modulator illustrating bonds to a post structure.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating certain steps in an embodiment ofa method of making an interferometric modulator.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating certain steps in an embodiment ofa method of making an interferometric modulator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description is directed to certain specificembodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied ina multitude of different ways. In this description, reference is made tothe drawings wherein like parts are designated with like numeralsthroughout. As will be apparent from the following description, theembodiments may be implemented in any device that is configured todisplay an image, whether in motion (e.g., video) or stationary (e.g.,still image), and whether textual or pictorial. More particularly, it iscontemplated that the embodiments may be implemented in or associatedwith a variety of electronic devices such as, but not limited to, mobiletelephones, wireless devices, personal data assistants (PDAs), hand-heldor portable computers, GPS receivers/navigators, cameras, MP3 players,camcorders, game consoles, wrist watches, clocks, calculators,television monitors, flat panel displays, computer monitors, autodisplays (e.g., odometer display, etc.), cockpit controls and/ordisplays, display of camera views (e.g., display of a rear view camerain a vehicle), electronic photographs, electronic billboards or signs,projectors, architectural structures, packaging, and aestheticstructures (e.g., display of images on a piece of jewelry). MEMS devicesof similar structure to those described herein can also be used innon-display applications such as in electronic switching devices.

An embodiment provides increased bond strengths between post structuresand other structures (such as the substrate and/or the moveable layer)in an interferometric modulator. In certain embodiments, the increasedbond strengths are achieved by providing a roughened surface and/or anadhesive layer at the interface between the post structure and thestructures to which it is attached (such as the substrate and/or themoveable layer).

One interferometric modulator display embodiment comprising aninterferometric MEMS display element is illustrated in FIG. 1. In thesedevices, the pixels are in either a bright or dark state. In the bright(“on” or “open”) state, the display element reflects a large portion ofincident visible light to a user. When in the dark (“off” or “closed”)state, the display element reflects little incident visible light to theuser. Depending on the embodiment, the light reflectance properties ofthe “on” and “off” states may be reversed. MEMS pixels can be configuredto reflect predominantly at selected colors, allowing for a colordisplay in addition to black and white.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view depicting two adjacent pixels in a series ofpixels of a visual display, wherein each pixel comprises a MEMSinterferometric modulator. In some embodiments, an interferometricmodulator display comprises a row/column array of these interferometricmodulators. Each interferometric modulator includes a pair of reflectivelayers positioned at a variable and controllable distance from eachother to form a resonant optical cavity with at least one variabledimension. In one embodiment, one of the reflective layers may be movedbetween two positions. In the first position, referred to herein as therelaxed position, the movable reflective layer is positioned at arelatively large distance from a fixed partially reflective layer. Inthe second position, referred to herein as the actuated position, themovable reflective layer is positioned more closely adjacent to thepartially reflective layer. Incident light that reflects from the twolayers interferes constructively or destructively depending on theposition of the movable reflective layer, producing either an overallreflective or non-reflective state for each pixel.

The depicted portion of the pixel array in FIG. 1 includes two adjacentinterferometric modulators 12 a and 12 b. In the interferometricmodulator 12 a on the left, a movable reflective layer 14 a isillustrated in a relaxed position at a predetermined distance from anoptical stack 16 a, which includes a partially reflective layer. In theinterferometric modulator 12 b on the right, the movable reflectivelayer 14 b is illustrated in an actuated position adjacent to theoptical stack 16 b.

The optical stacks 16 a and 16 b (collectively referred to as opticalstack 16), as referenced herein, typically comprise of several fusedlayers, which can include an electrode layer, such as indium tin oxide(ITO), a partially reflective layer, such as chromium, and a transparentdielectric. The optical stack 16 is thus electrically conductive,partially transparent and partially reflective, and may be fabricated,for example, by depositing one or more of the above layers onto atransparent substrate 20. In some embodiments, the layers are patternedinto parallel strips, and may form row electrodes in a display device asdescribed further below. The movable reflective layers 14 a, 14 b may beformed as a series of parallel strips of a deposited metal layer orlayers (orthogonal to the row electrodes of 16 a, 16 b) deposited on topof posts 18 and an intervening sacrificial material deposited betweenthe posts 18. When the sacrificial material is etched away, the movablereflective layers 14 a, 14 b are separated from the optical stacks 16 a,16 b by a defined gap 19. A highly conductive and reflective materialsuch as aluminum may be used for the reflective layers 14, and thesestrips may form column electrodes in a display device.

With no applied voltage, the cavity 19 remains between the movablereflective layer 14 a and optical stack 16 a, with the movablereflective layer 14 a in a mechanically relaxed state, as illustrated bythe pixel 12 a in FIG. 1. However, when a potential difference isapplied to a selected row and column, the capacitor formed at theintersection of the row and column electrodes at the corresponding pixelbecomes charged, and electrostatic forces pull the electrodes together.If the voltage is high enough, the movable reflective layer 14 isdeformed and is forced against the optical stack 16. A dielectric layer(not illustrated in this Figure) within the optical stack 16 may preventshorting and control the separation distance between layers 14 and 16,as illustrated by pixel 12 b on the right in FIG. 1. The behavior is thesame regardless of the polarity of the applied potential difference. Inthis way, row/column actuation that can control the reflective vs.non-reflective pixel states is analogous in many ways to that used inconventional LCD and other display technologies.

FIGS. 2 through 5 illustrate one exemplary process and system for usingan array of interferometric modulators in a display application.

FIG. 2 is a system block diagram illustrating one embodiment of anelectronic device that may incorporate aspects of the invention. In theexemplary embodiment, the electronic device includes a processor 21which may be any general purpose single- or multi-chip microprocessorsuch as an ARM, Pentium®, Pentium II®, Pentium III®, Pentium IV®,Pentium® Pro, an 8051, a MIPS®, a Power PC®, an ALPHA®, or any specialpurpose microprocessor such as a digital signal processor,microcontroller, or a programmable gate array. As is conventional in theart, the processor 21 may be configured to execute one or more softwaremodules. In addition to executing an operating system, the processor maybe configured to execute one or more software applications, including aweb browser, a telephone application, an email program, or any othersoftware application.

In one embodiment, the processor 21 is also configured to communicatewith an array driver 22. In one embodiment, the array driver 22 includesa row driver circuit 24 and a column driver circuit 26 that providesignals to a panel or display array (display) 30. The cross section ofthe array illustrated in FIG. 1 is shown by the lines 1-1 in FIG. 2. ForMEMS interferometric modulators, the row/column actuation protocol maytake advantage of a hysteresis property of these devices illustrated inFIG. 3. It may require, for example, a 10 volt potential difference tocause a movable layer to deform from the relaxed state to the actuatedstate. However, when the voltage is reduced from that value, the movablelayer maintains its state as the voltage drops back below 10 volts. Inthe exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, the movable layer does not relaxcompletely until the voltage drops below 2 volts. There is thus a rangeof voltage, about 3 to 7 V in the example illustrated in FIG. 3, wherethere exists a window of applied voltage within which the device isstable in either the relaxed or actuated state. This is referred toherein as the “hysteresis window” or “stability window.” For a displayarray having the hysteresis characteristics of FIG. 3, the row/columnactuation protocol can be designed such that during row strobing, pixelsin the strobed row that are to be actuated are exposed to a voltagedifference of about 10 volts, and pixels that are to be relaxed areexposed to a voltage difference of close to zero volts. After thestrobe, the pixels are exposed to a steady state voltage difference ofabout 5 volts such that they remain in whatever state the row strobe putthem in. After being written, each pixel sees a potential differencewithin the “stability window” of 3-7 volts in this example. This featuremakes the pixel design illustrated in FIG. 1 stable under the sameapplied voltage conditions in either an actuated or relaxed pre-existingstate. Since each pixel of the interferometric modulator, whether in theactuated or relaxed state, is essentially a capacitor formed by thefixed and moving reflective layers, this stable state can be held at avoltage within the hysteresis window with almost no power dissipation.Essentially no current flows into the pixel if the applied potential isfixed.

In typical applications, a display frame may be created by asserting theset of column electrodes in accordance with the desired set of actuatedpixels in the first row. A row pulse is then applied to the row 1electrode, actuating the pixels corresponding to the asserted columnlines. The asserted set of column electrodes is then changed tocorrespond to the desired set of actuated pixels in the second row. Apulse is then applied to the row 2 electrode, actuating the appropriatepixels in row 2 in accordance with the asserted column electrodes. Therow 1 pixels are unaffected by the row 2 pulse, and remain in the statethey were set to during the row 1 pulse. This may be repeated for theentire series of rows in a sequential fashion to produce the frame.Generally, the frames are refreshed and/or updated with new display databy continually repeating this process at some desired number of framesper second. A wide variety of protocols for driving row and columnelectrodes of pixel arrays to produce display frames are also well knownand may be used in conjunction with the present invention.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate one possible actuation protocol for creating adisplay frame on the 3×3 array of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 illustrates a possibleset of column and row voltage levels that may be used for pixelsexhibiting the hysteresis curves of FIG. 3. In the FIG. 4 embodiment,actuating a pixel involves setting the appropriate column to −V_(bias),and the appropriate row to +ΔV, which may correspond to −5 volts and +5volts respectively. Relaxing the pixel is accomplished by setting theappropriate column to +V_(bias), and the appropriate row to the same+ΔV, producing a zero volt potential difference across the pixel. Inthose rows where the row voltage is held at zero volts, the pixels arestable in whatever state they were originally in, regardless of whetherthe column is at +V_(bias), or −V_(bias). As is also illustrated in FIG.4, it will be appreciated that voltages of opposite polarity than thosedescribed above can be used, e.g., actuating a pixel can involve settingthe appropriate column to +V_(bias), and the appropriate row to −ΔV. Inthis embodiment, releasing the pixel is accomplished by setting theappropriate column to −V_(bias), and the appropriate row to the same−ΔV, producing a zero volt potential difference across the pixel.

FIG. 5B is a timing diagram showing a series of row and column signalsapplied to the 3×3 array of FIG. 2 which will result in the displayarrangement illustrated in FIG. 5A, where actuated pixels arenon-reflective. Prior to writing the frame illustrated in FIG. 5A, thepixels can be in any state, and in this example, all the rows are at 0volts, and all the columns are at +5 volts. With these applied voltages,all pixels are stable in their existing actuated or relaxed states.

In the FIG. 5A frame, pixels (1,1), (1,2), (2,2), (3,2) and (3,3) areactuated. To accomplish this, during a “line time” for row 1, columns 1and 2 are set to −5 volts, and column 3 is set to +5 volts. This doesnot change the state of any pixels, because all the pixels remain in the3-7 volt stability window. Row 1 is then strobed with a pulse that goesfrom 0, up to 5 volts, and back to zero. This actuates the (1,1) and(1,2) pixels and relaxes the (1,3) pixel. No other pixels in the arrayare affected. To set row 2 as desired, column 2 is set to −5 volts, andcolumns 1 and 3 are set to +5 volts. The same strobe applied to row 2will then actuate pixel (2,2) and relax pixels (2,1) and (2,3). Again,no other pixels of the array are affected. Row 3 is similarly set bysetting columns 2 and 3 to −5 volts, and column 1 to +5 volts. The row 3strobe sets the row 3 pixels as shown in FIG. 5A. After writing theframe, the row potentials are zero, and the column potentials can remainat either +5 or −5 volts, and the display is then stable in thearrangement of FIG. 5A. It will be appreciated that the same procedurecan be employed for arrays of dozens or hundreds of rows and columns. Itwill also be appreciated that the timing, sequence, and levels ofvoltages used to perform row and column actuation can be varied widelywithin the general principles outlined above, and the above example isexemplary only, and any actuation voltage method can be used with thesystems and methods described herein.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are system block diagrams illustrating an embodiment ofa display device 40. The display device 40 can be, for example, acellular or mobile telephone. However, the same components of displaydevice 40 or slight variations thereof are also illustrative of varioustypes of display devices such as televisions and portable media players.

The display device 40 includes a housing 41, a display 30, an antenna43, a speaker 45, an input device 48, and a microphone 46. The housing41 is generally formed from any of a variety of manufacturing processesas are well known to those of skill in the art, including injectionmolding, and vacuum forming. In addition, the housing 41 may be madefrom any of a variety of materials, including but not limited toplastic, metal, glass, rubber, and ceramic, or a combination thereof. Inone embodiment the housing 41 includes removable portions (not shown)that may be interchanged with other removable portions of differentcolor, or containing different logos, pictures, or symbols.

The display 30 of exemplary display device 40 may be any of a variety ofdisplays, including a bi-stable display, as described herein. In otherembodiments, the display 30 includes a flat-panel display, such asplasma, EL, OLED, STN LCD, or TFT LCD as described above, or anon-flat-panel display, such as a CRT or other tube device, as is wellknown to those of skill in the art. However, for purposes of describingthe present embodiment, the display 30 includes an interferometricmodulator display, as described herein.

The components of one embodiment of exemplary display device 40 areschematically illustrated in FIG. 6B. The illustrated exemplary displaydevice 40 includes a housing 41 and can include additional components atleast partially enclosed therein. For example, in one embodiment, theexemplary display device 40 includes a network interface 27 thatincludes an antenna 43 which is coupled to a transceiver 47. Thetransceiver 47 is connected to the processor 21, which is connected toconditioning hardware 52. The conditioning hardware 52 may be configuredto condition a signal (e.g. filter a signal). The conditioning hardware52 is connected to a speaker 45 and a microphone 46. The processor 21 isalso connected to an input device 48 and a driver controller 29. Thedriver controller 29 is coupled to a frame buffer 28 and to the arraydriver 22, which in turn is coupled to a display array 30. A powersupply 50 provides power to all components as required by the particularexemplary display device 40 design.

The network interface 27 includes the antenna 43 and the transceiver 47so that the exemplary display device 40 can communicate with one oremore devices over a network. In one embodiment the network interface 27may also have some processing capabilities to relieve requirements ofthe processor 21. The antenna 43 is any antenna known to those of skillin the art for transmitting and receiving signals. In one embodiment,the antenna transmits and receives RF signals according to the IEEE802.11 standard, including IEEE 802.11(a), (b), or (g). In anotherembodiment, the antenna transmits and receives RF signals according tothe BLUETOOTH standard. In the case of a cellular telephone, the antennais designed to receive CDMA, GSM, AMPS or other known signals that areused to communicate within a wireless cell phone network. Thetransceiver 47 pre-processes the signals received from the antenna 43 sothat they may be received by and further manipulated by the processor21. The transceiver 47 also processes signals received from theprocessor 21 so that they may be transmitted from the exemplary displaydevice 40 via the antenna 43.

In an alternative embodiment, the transceiver 47 can be replaced by areceiver. In yet another alternative embodiment, network interface 27can be replaced by an image source, which can store or generate imagedata to be sent to the processor 21. For example, the image source canbe a digital video disc (DVD) or a hard-disc drive that contains imagedata, or a software module that generates image data.

Processor 21 generally controls the overall operation of the exemplarydisplay device 40. The processor 21 receives data, such as compressedimage data from the network interface 27 or an image source, andprocesses the data into raw image data or into a format that is readilyprocessed into raw image data. The processor 21 then sends the processeddata to the driver controller 29 or to frame buffer 28 for storage. Rawdata typically refers to the information that identifies the imagecharacteristics at each location within an image. For example, suchimage characteristics can include color, saturation, and gray-scalelevel.

In one embodiment, the processor 21 includes a microcontroller, CPU, orlogic unit to control operation of the exemplary display device 40.Conditioning hardware 52 generally includes amplifiers and filters fortransmitting signals to the speaker 45, and for receiving signals fromthe microphone 46. Conditioning hardware 52 may be discrete componentswithin the exemplary display device 40, or may be incorporated withinthe processor 21 or other components.

The driver controller 29 takes the raw image data generated by theprocessor 21 either directly from the processor 21 or from the framebuffer 28 and reformats the raw image data appropriately for high speedtransmission to the array driver 22. Specifically, the driver controller29 reformats the raw image data into a data flow having a raster-likeformat, such that it has a time order suitable for scanning across thedisplay array 30. Then the driver controller 29 sends the formattedinformation to the array driver 22. Although a driver controller 29,such as a LCD controller, is often associated with the system processor21 as a stand-alone Integrated Circuit (IC), such controllers may beimplemented in many ways. They may be embedded in the processor 21 ashardware, embedded in the processor 21 as software, or fully integratedin hardware with the array driver 22.

Typically, the array driver 22 receives the formatted information fromthe driver controller 29 and reformats the video data into a parallelset of waveforms that are applied many times per second to the hundredsand sometimes thousands of leads coming from the display's x-y matrix ofpixels.

In one embodiment, the driver controller 29, array driver 22, anddisplay array 30 are appropriate for any of the types of displaysdescribed herein. For example, in one embodiment, driver controller 29is a conventional display controller or a bi-stable display controller(e.g., an interferometric modulator controller). In another embodiment,array driver 22 is a conventional driver or a bi-stable display driver(e.g., an interferometric modulator display). In one embodiment, adriver controller 29 is integrated with the array driver 22. Such anembodiment is common in highly integrated systems such as cellularphones, watches, and other small area displays. In yet anotherembodiment, display array 30 is a typical display array or a bi-stabledisplay array (e.g., a display including an array of interferometricmodulators).

The input device 48 allows a user to control the operation of theexemplary display device 40. In one embodiment, input device 48 includesa keypad, such as a QWERTY keyboard or a telephone keypad, a button, aswitch, a touch-sensitive screen, a pressure- or heat-sensitivemembrane. In one embodiment, the microphone 46 is an input device forthe exemplary display device 40. When the microphone 46 is used to inputdata to the device, voice commands may be provided by a user forcontrolling operations of the exemplary display device 40.

Power supply 50 can include a variety of energy storage devices as arewell known in the art. For example, in one embodiment, power supply 50is a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel-cadmium battery or a lithiumion battery. In another embodiment, power supply 50 is a renewableenergy source, a capacitor, or a solar cell, including a plastic solarcell, and solar-cell paint. In another embodiment, power supply 50 isconfigured to receive power from a wall outlet.

In some implementations control programmability resides, as describedabove, in a driver controller which can be located in several places inthe electronic display system. In some cases control programmabilityresides in the array driver 22. Those of skill in the art will recognizethat the above-described optimization may be implemented in any numberof hardware and/or software components and in various configurations.

The details of the structure of interferometric modulators that operatein accordance with the principles set forth above may vary widely. Forexample, FIGS. 7A-7E illustrate five different embodiments of themovable reflective layer 14 and its supporting structures. FIG. 7A is across section of the embodiment of FIG. 1, where a strip of metalmaterial 14 is deposited on orthogonally extending supports 18. In FIG.7B, the moveable reflective layer 14 is attached to supports at thecorners only, on tethers 32. In FIG. 7C, the moveable reflective layer14 is suspended from a deformable layer 34, which may comprise aflexible metal. The deformable layer 34 connects, directly orindirectly, to the substrate 20 around the perimeter of the deformablelayer 34. These connections are herein referred to as support posts. Theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 7D has support post plugs 42 upon whichthe deformable layer 34 rests. The movable reflective layer 14 remainssuspended over the cavity, as in FIGS. 7A-7C, but the deformable layer34 does not form the support posts by filling holes between thedeformable layer 34 and the optical stack 16. Rather, the support postsare formed of a planarization material, which is used to form supportpost plugs 42. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7E is based on theembodiment shown in FIG. 7D, but may also be adapted to work with any ofthe embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7C as well as additionalembodiments not shown. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7E, an extralayer of metal or other conductive material has been used to form a busstructure 44. This allows signal routing along the back of theinterferometric modulators, eliminating a number of electrodes that mayotherwise have had to be formed on the substrate 20.

In embodiments such as those shown in FIG. 7, the interferometricmodulators function as direct-view devices, in which images are viewedfrom the front side of the transparent substrate 20, the side oppositeto that upon which the modulator is arranged. In these embodiments, thereflective layer 14 optically shields some portions of theinterferometric modulator on the side of the reflective layer oppositethe substrate 20, including the deformable layer 34 and the busstructure 44. This allows the shielded areas to be configured andoperated upon without negatively affecting the image quality. Thisseparable modulator architecture allows the structural design andmaterials used for the electromechanical aspects and the optical aspectsof the modulator to be selected and to function independently of eachother. Moreover, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 7C-7E have additionalbenefits deriving from the decoupling of the optical properties of thereflective layer 14 from its mechanical properties, which are carriedout by the deformable layer 34. This allows the structural design andmaterials used for the reflective layer 14 to be optimized with respectto the optical properties, and the structural design and materials usedfor the deformable layer 34 to be optimized with respect to desiredmechanical properties.

FIG. 8 illustrates certain steps in an embodiment of a manufacturingprocess 800 for a MEMS, e.g., an interferometric modulator. Such stepsmay be present in a process for manufacturing, e.g., interferometricmodulators of the general type illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7, along withother steps not shown in FIG. 8. With reference to FIGS. 1, 7 and 8, theprocess 800 begins at step 805 with the formation of the optical stack16 over the substrate 20. The substrate 20 may be a transparentsubstrate such as glass or plastic and may have been subjected to priorpreparation step(s), e.g., cleaning, to facilitate efficient formationof the optical stack 16. The optical stack 16 may be formed by employingone or more deposition steps, e.g., conductive layer (e.g., indium tinoxide) deposition, reflective layer (e.g., chromium) deposition, anddielectric layer deposition, along with one or more patterning, masking,and/or etching steps.

The process 800 illustrated in FIG. 8 continues at step 810 with theformation of a sacrificial layer over the optical stack 16. Thesacrificial layer is later removed (e.g., at step 825) to form thecavity 19 as discussed below and thus the sacrificial layer is not shownin the resulting interferometric modulator 12 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and7. The formation of the sacrificial layer over the optical stack 16 mayinclude deposition of a material such as molybdenum or amorphoussilicon, in a thickness selected to provide, after subsequent removal, acavity 19 having the desired size. Deposition of the sacrificialmaterial may be carried out using deposition techniques such as physicalvapor deposition (PVD, e.g., sputtering), plasma-enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), thermal chemical vapor deposition (thermal CVD), orspin-coating.

The process 800 illustrated in FIG. 8 continues at step 815 with theformation of a support structure e.g., a post 18 as illustrated in FIGS.1 and 7. The formation of the post 18 may include the steps ofpatterning the sacrificial layer to form an aperture, then depositing amaterial (e.g., a polymer, metal or oxide) into the aperture to form thepost 18, using a deposition method such as PECVD, thermal CVD, orspin-coating. In some embodiments, the aperture formed in thesacrificial layer extends through both the sacrificial layer and theoptical stack 16 to the underlying substrate 20, so that the lower endof the post 18 contacts the substrate 20 as illustrated in FIG. 7A. Inother embodiments, the aperture formed in the sacrificial layer extendsthrough the sacrificial layer, but not through the optical stack 16. Forexample, FIG. 7C illustrates the lower end of the support post plugs 42in contact with the optical stack 16.

The process 800 illustrated in FIG. 8 continues at step 820 with theformation of a moveable reflective layer such as the moveable reflectivelayer 14 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7. The moveable reflective layer 14may be formed by employing one or more deposition steps, e.g.,reflective layer (e.g., aluminum, aluminum alloy) deposition, along withone or more patterning, masking, and/or etching steps.

The process 800 illustrated in FIG. 8 continues at step 825 with theformation of a cavity, e.g., a cavity 19 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and7. The cavity 19 may be formed by exposing the sacrificial material(deposited at step 810) to a selective etchant. For example, asacrificial material such as molybdenum or amorphous silicon may beremoved by dry chemical etching, e.g., by exposing the sacrificial layerto a gaseous or vaporous etchant such as xenon difluoride (XeF₂) for aperiod of time that is effective to remove the desired amount ofmaterial. Other etching methods, e.g. wet etching and/or plasma etching,may be also be used.

Interferometric modulators may be manufactured in accordance withvarious sets of processing parameters, and thus it will be understoodthat FIG. 8 shows only a few of the more common steps for the purposesof illustration. It will be also be understood that not all processesfor manufacturing interferometric modulators include all the stepsillustrated in FIG. 8; that the steps illustrated in FIG. 8 need notnecessarily be carried out in the order shown, and that variousadditional manufacturing steps may be carried out, e.g., testing,back-end processing, and incorporating the interferometric modulatorinto a display device 40 as illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of aninterferometric modulator. In this embodiment, the support structure 18interacts with the moveable reflective layer 14 at an interface 905between the upper end of the support structure 18 and the lower surfaceof the layer 14. Likewise, the support structure 18 interacts with thesubstrate 20 at an interface 910 between the lower end of the support 18and the upper surface of the substrate 20. In certain situations,sliding or slippage between the support 18 and one or both of themoveable reflective layer 14 and the substrate 20 may occur. It has nowbeen found that this movement may be decreased or eliminated in a numberof ways. For example, in one embodiment, the movement is decreased byforming a bond at one or both of the interfaces 905, 910. The bond ispreferably configured to increase adhesion between the support structure18 and at least one of the substrate layer 20 and the moveable layer 14.The increased adhesion may provide other benefits, instead of or inaddition to decreasing and/or preventing relative movement between thesupport structure 18 and the layer(s) with which it is in contact.

FIG. 10A illustrates an embodiment of a bond 1005 formed at theinterface between the upper end of the support structure 18 and thelower surface of the moveable layer 14, and a bond 1010 at the interfacebetween the lower end of the support structure 18 and the upper surfaceof a transparent substrate layer 20. In the illustrated embodiment, thebonds 1005, 1010 both comprise a roughened interface between the supportstructure 18 and each of the moveable layer 14 and the substrate layer20, respectively. This invention is not bound by theory, but it isbelieved that roughening increases the surface area at the interfaceand/or provides mechanical interlocking between the two surfaces,thereby increasing adhesion between the support structure 18 and each ofthe layers 14, 20. Adhesion tends to increase as the degree of roughnessincreases, and thus the degree of roughness for each of the bonds 1005,1010 is preferably selected to provide the desired degree of adhesion,as determined by routine experimentation. The bond 1010 at the interfacebetween the lower end of the support structure 18 and the upper surfaceof a transparent substrate layer 20 may be formed during fabrication ofthe interferometric modulator, preferably by roughening a region 1040 ofthe surface of the substrate 20 prior to formation of the supportstructure, as described in greater detail below. The bond 1005 at theinterface between the upper end of the support structure 18 and thelower surface of the moveable layer 14 may also be formed duringfabrication of the interferometric modulator, preferably by rougheningthe support structure prior to formation of the moveable layer 14, asdescribed in greater detail below. Roughening of the substrate and/orsupport structure may be carried out in various ways, e.g., by etchingtechniques known to those skilled in the art. For example, the substratemay be etched by oxygen plasma burn down and/or by sputter etching. Thedegree of roughening for each of the bonds 1005, 1010, may be the sameor different. In some embodiments (not shown in FIG. 10A), only one ofthe interfaces 905, 910 is treated to increase adhesion between thesupport structure 18 and the layers 14, 20, respectively.

FIG. 10B illustrates an embodiment of a bond 1015 formed at theinterface between the upper end of the support structure 18 and thelower surface of the moveable layer 14, and a bond 1020 at the interfacebetween the lower end of the support structure 18 and the upper surfaceof a transparent substrate layer 20. In the illustrated embodiment, thebonds 1015, 1020 both comprise an adhesive layer between the supportstructure 18 and each of the moveable layer 14 and the substrate layer20, respectively. The adhesive layer preferably comprises a materialthat adheres more strongly to both of the surfaces at the interface thaneither of the interfacial surfaces adhere to one another in the absenceof the adhesive material. For example, the bond 1015 preferablycomprises a material that adheres better to both the support structure18 and the moveable layer 14, than the support structure 18 adheres tothe moveable layer 14 in the absence of the bond 1015. Likewise, thebond 1020 preferably comprises a material that adheres better to boththe support structure 18 and the substrate layer 20, than the supportstructure 18 adheres to the substrate layer 20 in the absence of thebond 1020. Adhesive materials may be selected by routineexperimentation. Preferably, one or both of the adhesive bond 1015 andthe adhesive bond 1020 comprise aluminum, e.g., the bonds 1015, 1020contain aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The bond 1020 at the interfacebetween the lower end of the support structure 18 and the upper surfaceof a transparent substrate layer 20 may be formed during fabrication ofthe interferometric modulator, preferably by depositing an adhesivematerial onto the substrate 20 prior to formation of the supportstructure, as described in greater detail below. Likewise, the bond 1015at the interface between the upper end of the support structure 18 andthe lower surface of the moveable layer 14 may also be formed duringfabrication of the interferometric modulator, preferably by depositingan adhesive material onto the support structure prior to formation ofthe moveable layer 14, as described in greater detail below.

FIG. 10C illustrates that a bond between the support structure and atleast one of the substrate layer and the moveable layer may compriseboth a roughened interface and an adhesive layer. The bond 1035 betweenthe upper end of the support structure 18 and the lower surface of themoveable layer 14 shown in FIG. 10C comprises a bond 1005 that comprisesa roughened surface on the upper end of the support structure 18, and anadhesive layer 1015 between the roughened interface and the lowersurface of the moveable layer 14. This invention is not bound by theory,but it is believed that the surface roughening increases the surfacearea of the upper end of the support structure 18 that is available forbonding, thus increasing adhesion between the upper end of the supportstructure 18 and the adhesive layer in the bond 1015. FIG. 10C alsoillustrates an interferometric modulator in which the upper end of thesupport structure 18 is bonded to the lower surface of the moveablelayer 14 in a different manner (via the bond 1035) than the lower end ofthe support structure 18 is bonded to the upper surface of the substratelayer 20 (via a bond 1010 that comprises a roughened interface, withoutan adhesive layer).

FIG. 10D illustrates an embodiment of a bond 1025 formed at theinterface between the lower end of the support structure 18 and theupper surface of a transparent substrate layer 20, where the uppersurface of the substrate 20 comprises an optical stack 16. In theillustrated embodiment, the bond 1015 is formed by roughening theoptical stack 16, rather than the transparent substrate 20 asillustrated in FIG. 10A. Likewise, FIG. 10E illustrates an embodiment ofa bond 1030 formed at the interface between the lower end of the supportstructure 18 and the upper surface of a transparent substrate layer 20,where the upper surface of the substrate 20 comprises an optical stack16. In the illustrated embodiment, the bond 1030 is formed by depositingan adhesive layer onto the optical stack 16, rather than onto thetransparent substrate 20 as illustrated in FIG. 10B.

The various bonds 1005, 1010, 1015, 1020, 1025, 1030 are illustrated inFIG. 10 for an interferometric modulator of the general type shown inFIG. 7A. It will be understood that similar bonds may be formed betweenthe support structures and the layers to which the support structuresare attached in other types of interferometric modulators, including butnot limited to the interferometric modulators illustrated in FIGS. 7B-E.For example, in an embodiment (not illustrated in FIG. 10), a bond isformed between a support structure and a moveable layer, and areflective surface is suspended from the moveable layer, e.g., in thegeneral manner illustrated in FIG. 7C. It will also be appreciated thatthe support structure 18 (e.g., a post) is an example of a means forsupporting a moveable layer (e.g., the moveable layer 14) over a fixedlayer (e.g., the substrate layer 20 comprising the optical stack 16). Itwill also be appreciated that the bonds formed by surface roughening(e.g., the bonds 1005, 1010) and by the use of an adhesive layer (e.g.,the bonds 1015, 1020) are examples of means for bonding the supportmeans to at least one of the fixed layer and the moveable layer.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of a method of makingan interferometric modulator. The method 1100 begins at step 1105 byforming a substrate layer. Preferably, the substrate layer comprises afirst reflective surface. The substrate layer may include a transparentsubstrate 20 and the first reflective surface may include an opticalstack 16 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7. The optical stack 16 may beformed on the substrate 20 by employing one or more deposition steps,e.g., reflective layer (e.g., chromium) deposition, conductive layer(e.g., indium tin oxide) deposition, and dielectric layer deposition,along with one or more patterning, masking, and/or etching steps.

The method 1100 continues at step 1110 by treating at least a portion ofa support region of the substrate layer to form a treated supportregion. The support region of the substrate layer is typically the areathat will underlie a support structure that will be formed in asubsequent step. The substrate layer may comprise the first reflectivesurface, and thus treatment of the support region of the substrate layermay include treatment of the support region of the substrate, e.g.,treatment of the support region 1040 of the substrate 20 as illustratedin FIG. 10A, and/or treatment of the first reflective surface, e.g., thesupport region 1045 of the optical stack 16 as illustrated in FIG. 10.Treating the support region to form a treated support region mayinclude, for example, roughening the support region and/or applying anadhesive layer. Thus, the resulting treated support region may include,for example, a roughened surface (such as the roughened surfacesincluded in the bonds 1010, 1025 illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10D,respectively) and/or a adhesive layer such as the adhesive layersincluded in the bonds 1020, 1030 illustrated in FIGS. 10B and 10E,respectively. Treating the support region may include exposing thesupport region to a roughening treatment such as a wet chemical etch, adry chemical etch, and/or a plasma etch. Examples of rougheningtreatments include oxygen plasma burn down and sputter etching. Inaddition to or instead of roughening, treating the support region mayinclude depositing an adhesive layer by a deposition process such as,e.g., spin-on, PECVD, thermal CVD, and/or PVD (e.g., sputtering). In anembodiment, deposition of an adhesive layer comprises depositing ametal, wherein the metal comprises aluminum (e.g., an aluminum alloy).Treatment is preferably carried out to an extent that is effective toprovide increased adhesion between the substrate layer and thesubsequently-formed support structure, e.g., between the substrate 20and the support structure 18 as illustrated in FIG. 10.

The method 1100 continues at step 1115 by forming a support structure onthe treated support region. The support structure may be formed invarious ways. For example, in an embodiment, a configuration such asthat illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B may be fabricated by depositing afirst reflective layer (e.g., the optical stack 16) and a sacrificiallayer on a substrate (e.g., the substrate 20), forming an aperture(e.g., a hole) through the sacrificial layer and the first reflectivelayer to expose a portion of the underlying substrate (e.g., to exposethe underlying substrate 20), treating the exposed substrate to form atreated support region (e.g., the treated support region 1040) asdescribed above, and depositing a support structure material into theaperture to form a support structure (e.g., the support structure 18) incontact with the treated support region. In another embodiment, aconfiguration such as that illustrated in FIGS. 10D and 10E may befabricated by depositing a first reflective layer (e.g., the opticalstack 16) and a sacrificial layer on a substrate (e.g., the substrate20), forming an aperture (e.g., a hole) through the sacrificial layer toexpose a portion of the underlying first reflective layer (e.g., toexpose the optical stack 16), treating the exposed optical stack 16 toform a treated support region (e.g., the treated support region 1045) asdescribed above, and depositing a support structure material into theaperture to form a support structure (e.g., the support structure 18) incontact with the treated support region. The support structure may beformed in various ways, e.g., by spin-in deposition of a polymer or bychemical vapor deposition (e.g., PECVD or thermal CVD) of an oxide suchas a silicon oxide.

It will be understood that additional steps (not illustrated in FIG. 11)in the fabrication of the interferometric modulator may also beconducted in accordance with the method 1100, e.g., deposition of thesacrificial layer over the substrate layer, deposition of a moveablelayer over the sacrificial layer, deposition of a second reflectivelayer over the sacrificial layer, removal of the sacrificial layer toform a cavity positioned between the first reflective layer and thesecond reflective layer, and/or removal of the sacrificial layer to forma cavity positioned between the first reflective layer and the moveablelayer.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of a method ofmaking an interferometric modulator. The method 1200 begins at step 1205by forming a substrate layer. Preferably, the substrate layer comprisesa first reflective surface. The substrate layer may include atransparent substrate 20 and the first reflective surface may include anoptical stack 16 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7. The optical stack 16may be formed on the substrate 20 by employing one or more depositionsteps, e.g., reflective layer (e.g., chromium) deposition, conductivelayer (e.g., indium tin oxide) deposition, and dielectric layerdeposition, along with one or more patterning, masking, and/or etchingsteps.

The method 1200 continues at step 1210 by forming a support structure onthe substrate layer. The support structure may be formed in variousways. For example, in an embodiment, a configuration such as thatillustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B may be fabricated by depositing a firstreflective layer (e.g., the optical stack 16) and a sacrificial layer ona substrate (e.g., the substrate 20), forming an aperture (e.g., a hole)through the sacrificial layer and the first reflective layer to expose aportion of the underlying substrate (e.g., to expose the underlyingsubstrate 20), and depositing a support structure material into theaperture to form a support structure (e.g., the support structure 18) incontact with the substrate (e.g., the substrate 20). Optionally, theexposed substrate may be treated to form a treated support region (e.g.,the treated support region 1040) as described above. In anotherembodiment, a configuration such as that illustrated in FIGS. 10D and10E may be fabricated by depositing a first reflective layer (e.g., theoptical stack 16) and a sacrificial layer on a substrate (e.g., thesubstrate 20), forming an aperture (e.g., a hole) through thesacrificial layer to expose a portion of the underlying first reflectivelayer (e.g., to expose the optical stack 16), and depositing a supportstructure material into the aperture to form a support structure (e.g.,the support structure 18) in contact with the first reflective layer(e.g., the optical stack 16). Optionally, the exposed optical stack 16may be treated to form a treated support region (e.g., the treatedsupport region 1045) as described above. The support structure may beformed in various ways as described above, e.g., by spin-in depositionof a polymer or by chemical vapor deposition (e.g., PECVD or thermalCVD) of an oxide such as a silicon oxide.

The method 1200 continues at step 1215 by treating the support structureto form a treated support structure. Preferably, the upper end of thesupport structure is treated to increase adhesion to asubsequently-formed moveable layer. Treating the support structure toform a treated support structure may include, for example, rougheningthe upper end of the support structure and/or applying an adhesive layerover the upper end of the support structure. Thus, the resulting treatedsupport structure may include, for example, a roughened surface (such asthe roughened surface included in the bond 1005 illustrated in FIG. 10A)and/or a adhesive layer such as the adhesive layer included in the bond1015 illustrated in FIG. 10B. Treating the support structure may includeexposing the support structure to a roughening treatment such as a wetchemical etch, a dry chemical etch, and/or a plasma etch. Examples ofroughening treatments include oxygen plasma burn down and sputteretching. In addition to or instead of roughening, treating the supportstructure may include depositing an adhesive layer by a depositionprocess such as, e.g., spin-on, plasma-enhanced chemical vapordeposition (PECVD), thermal chemical vapor deposition (thermal CVD),and/or PVD. In an embodiment, deposition of an adhesive layer comprisesdepositing a metal, wherein the metal comprises aluminum (e.g., analuminum alloy). Treatment is preferably carried out to an extent thatis effective to provide increased adhesion between the support structureand the subsequently-formed moveable layer, e.g., between the supportstructure 18 and the moveable layer 14 as illustrated in FIG. 10.

The method 1200 continues at step 1220 by forming a moveable layer onthe treated support structure. The moveable reflective layer (e.g., thelayer 14 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7) may be formed by employing oneor more deposition steps, e.g., reflective layer (e.g., aluminum,aluminum alloy) deposition, along with one or more patterning, masking,and/or etching steps. In an embodiment, formation of the moveable layeron a roughened surface at the upper end of the support structure forms abond, e.g., the bond 1005 as illustrated in FIG. 10. In anotherembodiment, formation of the moveable layer on an adhesive layer at theupper end of the support structure forms a bond, e.g., the bonds 1015,1035 as illustrated in FIG. 10.

It will be understood that additional steps (not illustrated in FIG. 12)in the fabrication of the interferometric modulator may also beconducted in accordance with the method 1200, e.g., deposition of afirst reflective layer over the substrate, deposition of a sacrificiallayer over the substrate and/or over the first reflective layer,deposition of a second reflective layer over the sacrificial layer,removal of the sacrificial layer to form a cavity positioned between thefirst reflective layer and the second reflective layer, and/or removalof the sacrificial layer to form a cavity positioned between the firstreflective layer and the moveable layer.

The methods 1100, 1200 discussed above make reference in certainembodiments to forming bonds to the support structure 18 of aninterferometric modulator of the general type shown in FIG. 7A. It willbe understood that the illustrated methods may also be employed to formsimilar bonds between the support structures and the layers to which thesupport structures are attached in other types of interferometricmodulators, including but not limited to the interferometric modulatorsillustrated in FIGS. 7B-E. For example, in an embodiment (notillustrated in FIG. 10), the method 1200 is employed to form a bondbetween a support structure and a moveable layer, and a reflectivesurface is formed that is suspended from the moveable layer, e.g., inthe general manner illustrated in FIG. 7C. It will be appreciated thatthe methods 1100, 1200 may each be carried out individually, or combinedinto a single method. For example, the method 1100 may be conducted toform a bond between the substrate layer (e.g., the substrate 20 or theoptical stack 16) and the support structure 18; the method 1200 may beconducted to form a bond between the support structure 18 and themoveable layer 14; and/or the methods 1100 and 1200 may be carried outtogether, e.g., to form bonds between the support structure 18 and bothof the substrate layer (e.g., the substrate 20 or the optical stack 16)and the moveable layer 14.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments,it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changesin the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of theinvention. As will be recognized, the present invention may be embodiedwithin a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits setforth herein, as some features may be used or practiced separately fromothers.

1. A microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device, comprising: asubstrate layer comprising a first reflective surface; a movable layercomprising a second reflective surface, the second reflective surfacebeing spaced from the first reflective surface to thereby define acavity; a support structure positioned at a side of the cavity betweenthe substrate layer and the moveable layer; and a bond between thesupport structure and at least one of the substrate layer and themoveable layer; the bond being configured to increase adhesion betweenthe support structure and at least one of the substrate layer and themoveable layer.
 2. The MEMS device of claim 1, comprising aninterferometric modulator.
 3. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein thebond comprises a roughened interface between the support structure andat least one of the substrate layer and the moveable layer.
 4. The MEMSdevice of claim 3, wherein the bond is between the support structure andthe substrate layer.
 5. The MEMS device of claim 4, wherein thesubstrate layer comprises a transparent substrate underlying the firstreflective surface.
 6. The MEMS device of claim 5, wherein the roughenedinterface is between the support structure and the transparentsubstrate.
 7. The MEMS device of claim 5, wherein the roughenedinterface is between the support structure and the first reflectivesurface.
 8. The MEMS device of claim 3, wherein the bond is between thesupport structure and the moveable layer.
 9. The MEMS device of claim 8,wherein the second reflective surface is suspended from the moveablelayer.
 10. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the bond comprises anadhesive layer between the support structure and at least one of thesubstrate layer and the moveable layer.
 11. The MEMS device of claim 10,wherein the adhesive layer comprises aluminum.
 12. The MEMS device ofclaim 10, wherein the adhesive layer is between the support structureand the substrate layer.
 13. The MEMS device of claim 12, wherein thesubstrate layer comprises a transparent substrate underlying the firstreflective surface.
 14. The MEMS device of claim 13, wherein theadhesive layer is between the support structure and the transparentsubstrate.
 15. The MEMS device of claim 13, wherein adhesive layer isbetween the support structure and the first reflective surface.
 16. TheMEMS device of claim 10, wherein the adhesive layer is between thesupport structure and the moveable layer.
 17. The MEMS device of claim16, wherein the second reflective surface is suspended from the moveablelayer.
 18. An interferometric modulator comprising: a means forsupporting a moveable layer over a fixed layer; and a means for bondingthe support means to at least one of the fixed layer and the moveablelayer; the bonding means being configured to provide improved adhesionbetween the support means and at least one of the fixed layer and themoveable layer.
 19. The interferometric modulator of claim 18, whereinthe bonding means comprises an adhesive.
 20. The interferometricmodulator of claim 18, wherein the bonding means comprises a roughenedinterface between the support means and at least one of the fixed layerand the moveable layer.
 21. The interferometric modulator of claim 18,wherein the support means comprises a post.
 22. A method of making aninterferometric modulator, comprising: forming a substrate layer, thesubstrate layer comprising a first reflective surface; treating at leasta portion of a support region of the substrate layer to form a treatedsupport region; and forming a support structure on the treated supportregion; the treated support region being configured to increase adhesionbetween the substrate layer and the support structure.
 23. The method ofclaim 22, wherein treating comprises roughening at least a portion ofthe support region of the substrate layer.
 24. The method of claim 23,wherein roughening comprises etching the support region of the substratelayer.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein roughening comprisesroughening a portion of the first reflective surface.
 26. The method ofclaim 22, wherein treating comprises depositing an adhesive over atleast a portion of the support region of the substrate layer.
 27. Themethod of claim 22, further comprising depositing a sacrificial layerover the substrate layer.
 28. The method of claim 27, further comprisingdepositing a second reflective layer over the sacrificial layer.
 29. Themethod of claim 28, further comprising removing the sacrificial layer toform a cavity positioned between the first reflective layer and thesecond reflective layer.
 30. An interferometric modulator made by themethod of claim
 22. 31. A method of making an interferometric modulator,comprising: forming a substrate layer; forming a support structure onthe substrate layer; treating the support structure to form a treatedsupport structure; and forming a moveable layer on the treated supportstructure.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein treating comprisesroughening at least a portion of the support structure.
 33. The methodof claim 31, wherein treating comprises depositing an adhesive over atleast a portion of the support structure.
 34. The method of claim 31,further comprising forming a reflective layer on the substrate layer.35. The method of claim 34, further comprising depositing a sacrificiallayer over the first reflective layer.
 36. The method of claim 35,further comprising removing the sacrificial layer to form a cavitypositioned between the reflective layer and the moveable layer.
 37. Aninterferometric modulator made by the method of claim
 31. 38. A displaydevice comprising the interferometric modulator of claim
 2. 39. Thedisplay device of claim 38, further comprising: a display; a processorthat is in electrical communication with the display, the processorbeing configured to process image data; a memory device in electricalcommunication with the processor.
 40. The display device of claim 39,further comprising: a driver circuit configured to send at least onesignal to the display.
 41. The display device of claim 40, furthercomprising: a controller configured to send at least a portion of theimage data to the driver circuit.
 42. The display device of claim 39,further comprising: an image source module configured to send the imagedata to the processor.
 43. The display device of claim 42, wherein theimage source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver,and transmitter.
 44. The display device of claim 39, further comprising:an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate theinput data to the processor.